Counselling

There are many times in life when counselling becomes a necessity and Talking Therapy is proven to be one of the most effective of all therapies available. Vicky has worked as a counsellor for 30 years and draws techniques from many different disciplines to help her clients.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

This therapy is based on the belief that our thoughts are directly connected to how we feel. Vicky works with her clients to solve present day problems, by helping the client to become aware of old thinking that causes emotional discomfort. This is a short term therapy for a long term gain and is known particulary for treating depression, anxiety, panic attacks and anger problems.

Behavioral Therapy

Therapy may include role-playing, assertiveness training, and self management training. As with cognitive therapy there is a collaboration between client and therapist, and is also a short term therapy for long term gains..

Psychoanalytic:

Known as the original “talking therapy” this involves analyzing the root causes of behavior and feelings, so allowing us to know what our subconscious mind believes, and how that affects us consciously. Vicky often uses her hypnotherapy skills also to get to the root of subconscious thinking and feeling.

Individual Psychology

Based on the theories of Alfred Adler, it is also called the “common sense” therapy. Human beings are always developing and moving toward the future, so we are concerned with what will/may happen, rather than to the past events and we often want our future to turn out better than our past. But if our goals are unrealistic or totally unattainable, we find ourselves on a self-defeating pathway which can lead into a sense of deteat and failure. The goal of this type of therapy is to bring in realism and achievment, to raise self esteem and contentment, and to to produce more meaningful relationships in life. This involves the therapist in listening and questioning, to know the client as fully as possible, so that the therapist can feed back the faulty objectives and behaviors to the client, and foster new and more supportive objectives.

Person-Centered. Carl Rogers in the 1940′s, believed that each of us has the innate ability to reach our full potential. As infants we are born with it, but because of early experiences, we may lose that belief in our own ability and indeed our own self worth. The responses we develop to our early experiences often tend to lower our self esteem, and therfore our ablility to reach our full potential. This therapy helps us know our true potential again and to reach for and use it. This therapy is often considered the most optimistic approach to human potential, and is based on positive regard, acceptance, and appreciation of the client in the present moment. The client then learns to appreciate and believe in him/herself and carry that positivity into their future.

Gestalt Therapy. Gestalt, is a German word meaning “whole,” and essentually works by keeping the person focused on the here and now instead of on what has passed. Unresolved conflicts are worked out in the therapy session as if they are happening in that moment, but emphasis is placed on personal responsibility for one’s own well-being, by being aware of the choices and decisions that the client chooses now, to influence the client's own future.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy. This therapy focuses on solutions instead of problems. The premise is that if one does a step by step process, following certain assumptions, the client can find quick solutions to whatever is facing them. Like the cognitive-behavioral therapies this is short term therapy and sometimes might involve homework and working towards clearly defined goals.

Vicky works by drawing on whichever approaches suit the individual requirements of her client.